Yesterday Marketa Vondrousova from the Czech Republic won Wimbledon. I’ve long admired her game. She plays left-handed with a flowing grace, mixing in slices and drop shots with her power. There’s a dance.

I read an article this morning about Marketa’s tattoos. There are lots of them. I’m enthralled with one:

No rain … no flowers

I love it when the world’s wisdom comes in small packages. Having my phone stolen turns out to be a minor interruption in the sweetness of my life. The first 48 hours were impaling but now I can sit back and reflect. I see that, although the rain poured down, the shafts of sun now break through the clouds. I found a level of determination that I didn’t know was in me. I refuse to let a thief dictate my happiness. Nor will losing all my photos.

Do you realize how beautiful a rose is?

***

It’s 12:45 pm in Maarkedal, Belgium. At 3:00 we head to the Brussels Airport. We fly to Morocco around 7:00. After a two-hour layover, it’s on to Dakar, Senegal. Then a four-hour bus ride to Toubacouta. We’ll probably arrive around 6:00 am local time (8:00 in Europe).

And then to sleep …

I’ll see you after I wake up